News Forum - Government will focus daily Covid-19 reports on serious cases, wants to reduce anxiety

[Thaiger]

After Thailand’s number of Covid-19 infections per day went above 10,000 this weekend, the government plans to change how it does daily Covid-19 reports. In a two-day a week test, the government reports will only focus on deaths and serious cases where people needed to be hospitalised with ventilators, or had pneumonia. The Ministry of Public Health says that even though infections are rising, the number of deaths and serious cases is stable. The government says this new way of reporting Covid-19 in Thailand is meant to lessen public anxiety. With vaccines, Thailand’s Covid-19 death rate has gone down from […]

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[Stonker]

18 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

The ministry wants to focus on deaths and serious cases because these numbers are now stable.

Aaah ..... "stable".

 

That sounds so much better than "not dropping" or "as bad as before".

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

21 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

new way of reporting Covid-19 in Thailand is meant to lessen public anxiety.

In contrast to the old way, which was to increase the public anxiety, in every possible way.

[Fanta]

20 minutes ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

In contrast to the old way, which was to increase the public anxiety, in every possible way.

Or perhaps it was to acknowledge the real health risk of Covid and raise a complacent public’s awareness to a pandemic that has killed over 5,000,000 people globally and today, 2 years later, is infecting over 10,000 people a day in the Land of Smiles. 

[Oracle]

I can't think of a better way for Thailand to be placed on travel ban lists by countries of the world and discourage travelers.  A government announcing it won't report actual number of Covid cases anymore?

[Chatogaster]

 

Ignorance may be bliss, but being kept in the dark is agony.

As long as access to the national and regional databases (passive reporting) isn't affected, reducing (but not eliminating) the active reporting via official media channels might be acceptable. The biggest risk (and potential reason for cancelling this experiment) is that vaccination/booster uptake may drop as a result. 

If the idea is to completely suppress the data via all channels imaginable, it will be very bad PR for Thailand's image as a civilized country + the data would still come out, but only in the form of rumors (which is not a good thing).

 

[Soidog]

A classic move by the Thai government. If you don’t like the data, either ignoring it, hide it, change the way you measure it or simply lie about it. Forget transparency and independent oversight. That would never do now would it. 33 deaths from Influenza in 2019 I believe was also an official figure. Can you believe there are people who believe such drivel. It beggars belief. 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

The Ministry of Public Health says that even though infections are rising, the number of deaths and serious cases is stable.

Which is less than those injured and killed in road accidents. There were 44 fatalities and 2524 injured in road accidents yesterday. Though fatalities outstripped COVID19 deaths yesterday, those injured didn’t under the old reporting regulations …… I can see that will change. Under the “bleeds it leads” motto will all media outlets in Thailand (including the Thaiger) start reporting the daily road toll as it will be higher in statistics than COVID19?

[LoongFred]

14 minutes ago, Soidog said:

A classic move by the Thai government. If you don’t like the data, either ignoring it, hide it, change the way you measure it or simply lie about it. Forget transparency and independent oversight. That would never do now would it. 33 deaths from Influenza in 2019 I believe was also an official figure. Can you believe there are people who believe such drivel. It beggars belief. 

OMG you seem to know too much. Do you have good sources? I'd guess not.

 

[PETERBKK]

The figures that need explaining are the daily imported cases, especially the disproportionate numbers from Russia. Take a sample from the last 2 weeks: 27 Jan, 225 imported, 85 Russian; 31 Jan, 166 imported, 84 Russian; 01 Feb, 261 imported, 117 Russian; 03 Feb, 222 imported, 104 Russian; 05 February, 217 imported, 101 Russian. How do so many COVID positive passengers get on the plane? What happens to all the other passengers packed into a charter flight?

 

[Jason]

To be fair, the Thai Government is doing what many countries are doing. Hospitalisations and deaths are more meaningful with Omicron. Total infections are impossible to accurately report. Her we are reporting a combined total of PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests. In reality, it would only be a fifth of the actual infection numbers.

[AussieBob]

IMO this is partly because of the increasing numbers (hide the problem from tourists), but also to try and reduce the overall fear in Thailand about the growing numbers (which they have blamed on foreigners for 2 years).  The Sino-Thai Junta Govt is caught between a rock and a hard place - they are reactionary and incompetent because they have the long term vision of a goldfish. The military mindset is all about winning and taking over - they are not equipped for long term occupation. 

[Cabra]

Hospitalizations, and deaths seem to be the most relevant measures (as long as your not hospitalizing/counting asymptomatic cases). Severe illness would be relevant if they define (and stick with) a responsible definition of sereve - e.g., on a ventilator). Death information along with vaccination percentages is even more informative

[Fanta]

1 hour ago, PETERBKK said:

The figures that need explaining are the daily imported cases, especially the disproportionate numbers from Russia. Take a sample from the last 2 weeks: 27 Jan, 225 imported, 85 Russian; 31 Jan, 166 imported, 84 Russian; 01 Feb, 261 imported, 117 Russian; 03 Feb, 222 imported, 104 Russian; 05 February, 217 imported, 101 Russian. How do so many COVID positive passengers get on the plane? What happens to all the other passengers packed into a charter flight?

Well, from a quick look at your figures of roughly 40% of arriving Russians are infected and including the rule that anyone seated next to  these infected are also quarantined then the majority of the passengers on Russian flights must be shuffled off to quarantine. That can’t be right can it? 

[Poolie]

4 minutes ago, Fanta said:

Well, from a quick look at your figures of roughly 40% of arriving Russians are infected and including the rule that anyone seated next to  these infected are also quarantined then the majority of the passengers on Russian flights must be shuffled off to quarantine. That can’t be right can it? 

No. It can't and isn't.

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 hours ago, AussieBob said:

IMO this is partly because of the increasing numbers (hide the problem from tourists), but also to try and reduce the overall fear in Thailand about the growing numbers (which they have blamed on foreigners for 2 years).  The Sino-Thai Junta Govt is caught between a rock and a hard place - they are reactionary and incompetent because they have the long term vision of a goldfish. The military mindset is all about winning and taking over - they are not equipped for long term occupation. 

They are doing a good job of long term occupation so far ...

[Poolie]

2 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

They are doing a good job of long term occupation so far ...

Sino-Thai junta government? You've let the mask slip there.

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 minutes ago, Poolie said:

Sino-Thai junta government? You've let the mask slip there.

[Poolie]

Very appropriate!

[SteveM]

I've always thought that reporting cases is the wrong metric. Hospitalizations, deaths, and percentage testing positive are much better. Especially with Omicron, the vast majority of cases are mild to very mild. 

[AussieBob]

12 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

They are doing a good job of long term occupation so far ...

I know exactly what you mean - as do all that understand about Thailand.

Many years ago there was a military coup in Fiji - you may remember it.  The main reason was that a foreign group of people had taken over the country after decades of business corruption and 'culture' favoured actions across the whole Fijian society.  Fijians are like the 'basic' Thai people - laid back and easy going and just wanting to live a pleasant life - they were taken advantage of for far too long.  Thailand reminds me of Fiji in many ways. It is my biggest worry about Thailand - that things get out of balance so much, that a 'race' war starts one day in the future - which nobody ever wins. 

[HiuMak]

did they run out of numbers to report?